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The mobile market

On October 9, 2011, Jerry Brown, Governor of California (D), vetoed SB 914, a bill that would have required law enforcement officers to obtain a warrant prior to searching the contents of an arrestee’s mobile device. The legislation, which was sponsored by the ACLU, was approved in the California Legislature with unanimous support in the Assembly and a vote of 32-4 in the Senate. It was proposed in response to a California Supreme Court decision holding that warrantless searches of mobile phones was lawful, and that the information obtained could be used for prosecutions without regard to whether it was relevant to the initial arrest. To read the full text of SB 914, click here. Gov. Brown’s statement about his veto is available here.

The Department of Commerce last week took steps to block Huawei Technologies Co., a Chinese wireless equipment manufacturer, from participating in the development of a wireless public safety network in the United States. This new network is meant to bring the wireless devices of firefighters, police officers, ambulance drivers, and other emergency personnel onto the same frequency so they can communicate during a disaster. Huawei has been a topic of discussion in the past based on its purportedly close ties to the Chinese government and on concerns that Huawei’s equipment could be used to steal intellectual property or as a means through which to launch a cyber attack. Earlier this year, the company backed out of a deal to buy portions of a technology startup after government officials withheld consent based on national security concerns.

Reply Comments on the FCC Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the use of microwave links for wireless backhaul are due October 25, 2011. For more information, click here. To view the NPRM, click here.

Comments on the draft Mobile Medical Applications guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are due October 19, 2011. The draft guidelines are available here. Filing instructions are provided in the document.